In Tate Britain’s stately halls, Burberry (Instagram) Fall/Winter 2025 was an ode to the English countryside—blown by the wind, aristocratic, and cool. Daniel Lee’s first for the house was an emotive show of equestrian elegance, stately manor romance, and a pinch of cheeky British irreverence. In a season where quiet luxury is the order of the day, Burberry doubled down on heritage, proving that outerwear is not just its strength but its raison d’être.
The runway was reimagined as a look that was evocative of a grand English country house, one of faded, lived-in luxury. The models strode across weathered wood planks and antiques, filling the space with moody romance. It was a look that nodded to crumbling aristocracy—Wuthering Heights by way of streetwear cool.
The clothing, though, was anything but crumbling. Lee reinterpreted traditional silhouettes in a very modernist vein: streamlined, body-skimming leather trench coats with elevated lapels, rich velvet brocade jackets, and reimagined jodhpur pants with smooth range of motion. Ankle-high leather boots, a reference to outrageous riding gear, anchored the outfits in the earthy, horseback roots of Burberry while also making the case for functionality and panache. Trench coats came torn in chine damask and check patchwork shearling, while jacquard-woven pieces emulated the tapestries of old estates. Silk pyjama blouses poked out from under cashmere coats, confirming the collection’s contrast between home and world.
Daniel Lee himself defined the collection: “Think of them as weekend escapees. It’s that great Friday night exodus from London to the countryside for long rainy walks and to unplug in the great outdoors. It’s day-trips to grand stately homes.”
The colour palette was a masterclass in British landscape painting—moist moss greens, smoky auburns, stormy greys, and the occasional burst of Daniel Lee’s bright blue signature. Outerwear was the big winner, with enormous shearling coats and wax quilted jackets reworked with unexpected cut-outs and contrasting stitching. Scarves, wrapped and massive, were the stars, some trailing behind models dramatically like silk ribbons on the wind. Even Burberry’s heritage items were subtly reinterpreted, with parkas constructed in leather and capes in knit and velvet-texture shearling.
Casting itself was a ceremony. British cultural treasures Naomi Campbell, Lesley Manville, and Elizabeth McGovern strutted down the catwalk, joined by a guest appearance from Richard E. Grant. Dressed in an olive tweed coat—a world away from his famously threadbare coat in Withnail and I—Grant’s cameo was a wry nod to British cinema’s most fashionably unkempt anti-hero.
Lila Moss, off the back of a string of high-profile campaigns, introduced new blood to the show, and reminded everyone that Burberry is as much about tomorrow as yesterday.
Accessories slid into a stranglehold. Classic-check Burberry top-handle bags received a slouchier, softer update, but leather knee-high and ankle-grazing boots kept the collection anchored in ageless elegance. Footwear tipped its hat to heritage British shapes, from monk-strap Loch brogues to estate slippers redone in quilted velvet. Scarves, printed or luxurious cashmere, wrapped about models in layers of comfort, defying cold-season dressing to tone down.
Among the attendees were Kim Cattrall, Skepta, Jourdan Dunn, Orlando Bloom, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Ms. Lauryn Hill, making the show at once fashion and cultural moment.
There is a sense of surety around what Burberry is doing here. It’s not trying to shock or imagine itself out of familiarity—it’s placing itself in something that feels comfortable, as if the stretch of a worn-out jacket around the body. This was not about grand statements but about making small, assertive moves that reinforce what the brand does best. And sometimes confidence in what you are is hotter than a try at being something else.
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